Monday, June 4, 2018

A
bone marrow transplant could be a literal life-saver for someone with leukemia,
lymphoma, or a number of other conditions. Sadly, there are many more patients
who need bone marrow transplants than there are donors.

As supporters of adult stem
cell science, we believe everyone who can donate bone marrow should consider
registering as a donor. A bone marrow donation can make a life-changing
difference in the world—and since it takes less than 5% of your existing marrow
to save a life, your own immune system won’t be negatively affected while your
body regenerates the cells.

If
you’re considering donating, or if you’ve already committed and are wondering
what to expect, here are some things you should know about bone marrow
donations.

Donors aged 18 to 44
are the most requested

Bone
marrow transplants from donors aged 18 to 44 have the highest success rate,
which is why these donors are the most requested.

Even if you fall outside of
this age range, you may still be able to save someone’s life by donating bone
marrow, so don’t be discouraged from joining the registry.

More mixed-race donors
are needed

Bone
marrow transplants are more successful when the patient and donor have the same
ethnic background. Minority patients have a much lower chance of finding a
matching donor than Caucasian patients—about 50% compared to 90%.

For
mixed-race patients in particular, the chances of finding a suitable donor are
currently only about 5-7%. While donors from all backgrounds are needed and
greatly appreciated, patients may especially benefit from your donation if you
come from an African American, Native American, Asian, Hispanic, Pacific
Islander, or multiracial background.

The donor process takes
about 20 to 30 hours, and it won’t cost you anything

Before
donating, you’ll probably need to attend an information session and several
pre-screening appointments, like a physical exam and blood tests. This is
ensure you’re healthy and that the procedure will be safe for you.

Altogether,
the donation process will take around 20 to 30 hours of your time, but this is
usually spread over four to six weeks. Of course, if there’s travel involved,
your time commitment will be greater. Hospital stays for bone marrow donations
typically last less than a day. The National Marrow Donor Program will
reimburse your travel costs and your medical costs if these aren’t covered by
your insurance.

Bone marrow donation
isn’t as painful as most people think

During
the bone marrow donation procedure, the doctor uses anesthesia, which means you
won’t feel any pain. Afterward, you may experience back or hip pain that feels
like a common ache or a strained muscle. Some donors also experience muscle
pain and headache for a short while after the procedure.

Most
people can return to their normal routine within a few days, and your bone
marrow naturally replaces itself within four to six weeks. The average time for
a full recovery is 20 days—not a lot to save a life.

If you’re interested in becoming a bone
marrow donor, we encourage you to join the
bone marrow registry.
After registering, you’ll be contacted if you match a patient who needs a
transplant.

To find out more about our support for
the advancement of adult stem cell science, contact
us
today.

Saturday, June 2, 2018

As we age, our bodies can’t always keep up with our plans.
This is especially true of the knees, which can fall victim to stiffness,
weakness, or downright pain—even with simple
motions like getting out of bed in the morning.

If your knees are sore,
you’re not alone. Studies show that 19.5% of Americans
struggle with knee pain, and most people tend to experience it seemingly out of
nowhere. Whether your discomfort is caused by an old injury or just years of
natural wear and tear, there are lots of simple things you can do to reduce your knee pain and reclaim your mobility.

1.
Watch your weight

The knee is one of the largest, most complex joints in the
body, and we demand a lot from both. If you’re carrying a few extra pounds,
you’re placing even more stress on your knees—and
that’s a recipe for injury.

If you’re not at your ideal weight, small
changes in your diet and exercise plan can make a huge difference. Losing even
a small amount of weight can go a long way toward relieving the pressure
on your knees and boosting your overall health and happiness.

2.
Stay active

Speaking of exercise plans, being active is the best way to
keep the muscles that support the knee joint strong and flexible. Try to get some daily cardio
exercise, whether it’s a brisk walk, a swim, stationary cycling, or light
weightlifting. Tai chi and yoga can also improve balance and ease stiffness.

If you're not sure which exercises are safe or how much you
can handle, speak with your doctor or a physical therapist. And if you
do prefer to exercise in a class setting, let the instructor know so they can
adjust your routine accordingly.

3.
Wear the right shoes

Choosing proper footwear is important for everyone, but
especially for those with knee pain. The shoes you wear can impact the load
placed on the knee joints, making your pain better or worse.

Look for styles that have cushioned insoles to reduce stress
on your knees. Athletic shoes are a good option, since they’re designed with
motion control and stability features to control inward rotation of the foot,
lower leg, and knee. Also try to avoid high heels, which studies
show place enough force on the kneecap to lead to significant knee trauma and
pain.

4.
Avoid jarring
your joints

High-impact motions or exercises can further damage weak or
painful knees. Avoid joint-jarring exercises like jumping, kickboxing, or
sprinting. You may also want to avoid deep squats or lunging, which can worsen
pain if performed incorrectly.

If you injure your knee, the first 48 to 72 hours are
crucial to your recovery. Use a cold pack for 15 to 20 minutes four times per
day to ease swelling and numb pain. Then you can switch those cold pack
sessions out for heat by using
a heating pad, warm towel, or soothing bath.

7.
Consider a walking aid

Don’t shy away from using a cane or crutch to support you if
you really need one. You can also consider wearing knee splints or braces to
strengthen your stride. It might take a little while to adjust, but your
knees will thank you.

Find
lasting relief with alternative therapies

If you’ve tried everything
and your knees still hurt, stem cell therapy can be an effective, minimally invasive alternative to
traditional surgery in many cases.

During the
healing process, adult stem cells are often able to renew the injured knee
area, increase blood flow, and release growth factors needed to repair and
regenerate tissues. Best of all, stem cell therapy is an outpatient procedure with a much shorter
recovery time than surgery. Patients often return to work the very next day,
and many report a noticeable improvement after just one session.

Friday, June 1, 2018

When you’re living witharthritis or achy joints, everyday tasks can become a
challenge. Even something as simple and soothing as gardening can cause
discomfort. But this doesn’t have to be your
experience this summer. There are many ways to nurture your green thumb without
putting your joints at risk.

If you love to spend time gardening in the summer sun but are worried
about joint pain or stiffness, here are a few simple tips you can follow.

Make
a plan

Having a plan in hand can make gardening a breeze! Do you foresee multiple trips up and down the garden? Grab
a wheelbarrow, tug, or bucket to ease the strain on your hands, wrists, elbows,
and shoulders. Heavy lifting ahead of you? Why not ask a friend or
neighbor to help out, or even one of your kids or grandkids?

Decide beforehand what you need help with and what you can
handle yourself, and turn your gardening into a fun social occasion where everyone
lends a hand!

Have
a seat

Gardening is a great way to stay active, but the repetitive motions involved can lead to swelling and joint
pain. Fortunately, you don’t have to be on your feet the whole time to get the
work done.

Loosen the load on your weight-bearing joints by using a
garden stool instead of standing or kneeling. Sure, you might not be able to
reach as far, but you’ll be closer to the ground and able to use lighter,
shorter tools. You can also purchase long-reach or extendable tools.

Avoid sitting in one spot too long
though, as this can cause stiffness and make rising more difficult. Get
up from time to time to grab a glass of water or stretch your legs with a quick
stroll in the sun.

Get
a grip

Choosing the right gardening tools for each task can save you from sore
hands later. You can reduce any jarring of the joints
and strain on your knuckles if you use tools
with a good grip. When it comes to hoes and rakes, slip a spongy rubber sleeve over the handle for a better
grasp.

Consider
splints

Some gardening tasks can be managed easier while
wearing a splint. Weak or painful wrists can be supported with a wrist splint, while thumb splints can be helpful for tasks
like pruning that require a tight grip. Consult with an occupational therapist
for a more customized solution.

Vary
tasks

A successful gardening session requires patience. Give your
joints a rest by switching jobs every 20 minutes or so, even if you weren’t
quite finished yet—you can always go back to it later.
Take breaks between jobs as needed and use a timer to pace yourself.

It joint pain is holding you back from doing the things you love, it
might be time to consider alternative therapies. Stem cell therapy can restore balance in injured tissue by harnessing your body’s own natural healing process. Contact
us today to learn more and see if stem cell
therapy is right for you.

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Your spine is strong and flexible, but the discs that
cushion your vertebrae are highly susceptible to
damage. They can get torn through impact, ripped by a bone spur, or just
frayed over time with everyday use. When a disc
becomes so damaged that the tough outer tissue tears and leaks its gel-like
center, it causes a painful condition known as
a herniated disc.

It’s possible for
this condition to show up on an MRI or CT scan
without any accompanying symptoms. But chances
are, if you have a herniated disc, you’re going to feel it. Your symptoms will depend on the exact level of the spine where
the disc herniation occurs and whether or not it’s affecting nerve tissue.

To help you know what to watch out for, here are five of the most common
symptoms of a herniated disc—and how to find the care you need.

1. Spinal pain
A disc herniation can cause local pain at the affected level of the spine—anywhere from the neck to the lower back.

2.
Shooting pain down one side of the body

If the disc herniation is large enough, the tissue can press
on the adjacent spinal nerves and cause shooting pain on one side of the body
(referred to as sciatica). For instance, if you have a herniated disc between
the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae of your lower back, you may experience
shooting pain down your buttock into the back of your thigh and down your leg.
The pain often worsens upon standing, and decreases when lying down.

3.
Numbness, weakness, and tingling

Whether or not you’re feeling pain from a
herniated disc, other uncomfortable symptoms like
weakness, tingling, and numbness can arise virtually anywhere throughout your
body—and most often in the legs.

4.
Stiff neck

If the disc herniation occurs in the cervical spine, you may
feel pain shooting down one arm, causing a muscle spasm or stiff neck.

5.
Severe pain in one or both lower extremities

In severe cases, a herniated disc can press on
spinal nerves on both sides of the body. This can cause debilitating pain down
one or both lower extremities, with marked muscle weakness and sometimes
incontinence.

Recovering
from a herniated disc

In most cases, a herniated disc will not require surgery. This condition
can often be cared for with over-the-counter pain medications, physical
therapy, and other non-surgical options.

One of the most innovative treatments
for herniated discs is stem cell therapy.
This safe and minimally invasive treatment option harnesses your body’s natural
healing abilities to help relieve your pain and encourage the affected tissues
to repair themselves.

During a 15-minute outpatient session, your
doctor will remove mesenchymal, non-embryonic stem
cells from your bone marrow, circulating blood, or fat tissue. Then, while you relax
comfortably under local anesthetic, platelet-rich
plasma (PRP) is injected directly into
the affected area, which stimulates the tissue to
regenerate more effectively. Since the stem cells are taken from your
own body, the risk of an adverse reaction is very low.

While you may experience some soreness near
the injection sites, the recovery time from stem cell disc therapy is minimal. With a gradual decrease in pain and improvement in
mobility, many patients experience noticeable results within six to eight weeks—even after a single treatment.

A herniated disc can be painful, but hope is on the horizon. To learn
more about stem cell disc therapy, or to find out if this treatment option is
right for you, contact
us today.

Don’t let nerves hold you back from
finding the relief you need. If you’re interested in receiving stem cell
therapy but are anxious about the injections involved in the procedure, we’re
here to help ease your mind. Here are three tried and tested methods that can
help you overcome your fear of needles and embrace the benefits of stem cell
therapy.

1.
Talk to your doctor

We know that receiving any new treatment
can be nerve-wracking. That’s why our experienced and caring doctors are more
than happy to discuss your concerns with you before your session. We can walk
you through everything that happens during your treatment and answer all your
questions. Feeling prepared can boost your confidence, helping you breathe easy
in the knowledge that there won’t be any surprises.

Some patients have special requests that
we will always work to accommodate. For example, you might feel less anxious if
you can’t see the needle. Don’t be afraid to tell us what will help you—the
session is for your benefit, and we’ll do everything we can to ensure you feel
comfortable, relaxed, and happy at all times.

2.
Take advantage of distractions

To help you stay calm before your
appointment, try reading a book or magazine or listening to music. You can also
ask your doctor to chat with you as a distraction while you receive your
injection.

To take your mind off the injection
itself, you can also try closing your eyes and focusing on other things, like
an upcoming vacation or what you need to add to your grocery list. We try to
make the environment soothing for you, but if it’s easier for you to avoid
looking at your surroundings, that’s perfectly okay.

3.
Try breathing exercises

Breathing exercises can be a great way
to relax before any event you’re nervous about—from an important presentation
at work to your first stem cell therapy session.

In the waiting room before your
treatment or at home before you arrive, breathe in deeply and exhale slowly,
focusing on your breaths. Repeat this process for a few minutes until you feel
calmer and more in control of the situation.

If you think stem cell therapy might be
right for you, or if you’d like to ask us some questions about the treatment to
ease your mind and help you prepare, we’re here to help. Get in
touch
today to find out more.

Monday, May 21, 2018

Most
people will experience some form of back pain during their lives. It can happen
from lifting something heavy, doing yard work, or even just sitting at a desk
all day. Getting older also takes its toll on your back, causing your muscles
to lose their elasticity and the cushioning discs between your vertebrae to
wear down.

But
one common cause of back pain that many people overlook is stress. If your back
is sore and you don’t know why, or if you’ve had back pain for awhile that only
seems to be growing worse, your stress levels may be to blame. Here’s why—and
what you can do about it.

What stress can do to
your back

When
you experience stress, your body releases hormones like adrenaline and cortisol
as a natural response. In an isolated instance, this hormone response is good,
helping prepare you for a flight-or-flight situation. And after the perceived
threat has passed, your hormones return to normal levels.

But
if you constantly feel anxious or nervous, your body continues to release those
stress hormones in situations that simply don’t warrant them—like when your
boss keeps piling more and more work on your plate. You can’t fight or run away
in that situation, so those hormones just linger in your body and lead to
muscle tension, especially in the back and shoulders.

That
constant tension is enough to cause pain—and can pile on to make existing pain
worse. Thankfully, there are plenty of things you can try to relieve your
tension and take control of your health.

1.Work itout

Exercise
can be a great way to help reduce anxiety and ease back pain. Walking, jogging,
and other activities that get you up and moving can lower stress hormones and
raise endorphin levels, making you feel more positive and acting as natural
painkillers.

If
you’re worried that exercises will make your back pain worse, try low-impact
activities like yoga, swimming, and pilates. Inactivity can actually make your
pain worse, so taking some time to do stretches or walk around your garden can
work wonders on days when you don’t feel like hitting the gym.

2.Take a deep breath

Stress
causes your heart rate and blood pressure to go up, but deep breathing helps
bring them back down. Slowly inhaling through your nose and exhaling through
your mouth for a few minutes a day can calm you and reduce stress.

Meditation
is another way to lower anxiety, and it may actually change your brain’s makeup
to make you more resilient to stress. Try sitting up straight with your feet on
the floor and thinking or saying something positive while letting distracting
and negative thoughts drift away.

3.Loosen up

Massage,
whether through a therapist or on your own, can help take your mind off
stressors and loosen tight muscles. It allows you to directly target back pain
and soreness—plus, it’s really relaxing.

4.Sleep itoff

Many
of us don’t get enough rest, and stress can make drifting off all the more
difficult. When you don’t sleep well, it affects your mind and your body,
contributing to anxious thoughts and preventing your body from performing
necessary maintenance work—like repairing the damaged tissues that are causing
your pain.

To
get some good shut-eye, avoid distractions like your TV or phone, and create a
relaxing environment that’s quiet, dark, and cool. It also helps to stick to a
consistent bedtime schedule, even on weekends.

Reducing
your stress levels can often ease your back pain. But if you’ve been living
with back pain for a while, it might be time to consider alternative treatment
options. Stem cell therapy is a minimally invasive procedure which uses your
body’s own regenerative abilities to help promote circulation and target pain. Contact us
today
to find out if stem cell therapy is right for you.

Monday, April 30, 2018

Even after a solid eight hours of sleep,
sometimes you still wake up feeling stiff and sore. And while a hot shower
sounds enticing, the thought of actually getting into that shower doesn’t. If
you’re one of the millions of people living with joint pain, the ache can set
in long before the day begins.

So why does this happen? As you age, your bones
begin to degenerate and the cartilage protecting and buffering your joints
becomes drier and less porous. During sleep, your muscles relax and your
circulation slows, as do the fluids lubricating your joints and cartilage. The
less fluid available for lubrication, the stiffer your joints become. And since
it can take some time for fluids to seep back into your joints in the morning,
the result is stiffness and pain.

Whether you’re living with arthritis, a sports
injury, back pain, or any number of other musculoskeletal conditions, joint
pain in the morning can shape your entire day. Fortunately, there are a few
steps you can take to make mornings a little easier on your joints.

1. Get Enough Sleep

This seems obvious, but many people people don’t
realize how important sleep is to their health and wellbeing. According to the
US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a whopping 35% of adults don’t get enough sleep.

When you get less than seven hours of sleep, the
cost is often sore joints in the morning. Regularly missing out on sleep also
increases your risk of developing any number of other chronic diseases and
conditions, including stroke and heart disease. So embrace your beauty sleep—it
does your body good.

2. Position Yourself Properly

Along with the amount of sleep you get, pay
attention to how you sleep. A pillow
that’s too soft or too firm can place undue strain on your neck, forcing your
spine into uncomfortable positions.

A warm bath is a great way to relax before bed,
helping you sink into a restful sleep more easily. But the water also helps
soothe your muscles and joints, leading to less pain and stiffness come
morning. Trying adding Epsom salts to your bath to help with inflammation and
soften your skin.

4. Sleep Tight (and Warm)

When the temperature drops, your joint pain can
feel worse. No matter what the weather is doing outside, your body will be far
more responsive and your muscles more supple when they’re toasty in bed. Always
keep an extra blanket handy and keep your feet and toes under the covers. A
pair of snuggly bed socks can help keep them warm if you find you often kick
off the covers.

If joint pain is making your morning—and the rest of your day—hard to
endure, it might be time to consider other non-surgical options. Stem cell
therapy uses the body’s own regenerative abilities to help bring relief and
healing to patients with joint pain. Contact us today to find out if stem
cell therapy might help make your mornings a little brighter.